The rotator cuff, a group of four muscles that wrap around the shoulder joint to attach the upper arm to the shoulder blade, in part allows the shoulder to move and turn through a wider range than any other joint in the body. Unfortunately, tears of the rotator cuff are common, making many routine activities difficult and painful.
Rotator cuff tears are treated through physical rehabilitation with limited success, and as such, surgery is often necessary to correct the function of the muscle group. Rotator cuff repair surgery can be done either through a traditional large incision, or arthroscopically using three to four small incisions and a keyhole camera. Large surgical incisions can cause significant pain and require lengthy recovery times, and thus arthroscopic procedures are generally preferred.
Although the goal to re-attach the torn rotator cuff muscle is the same using all methods, decreasing the size of the incision used increases the level of surgical skill required. It can be difficult to manipulate sutures and properly adjust the tension of suture knots within the surgical site using arthroscopic techniques. Further, knots and other bulky attachment means can irritate tissue over time. Sutures can be similarly difficult to secure and/or similarly irritating to tissue in other surgical applications, such as in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved surgical sutures, suture systems, and methods for suturing.